The present system relates generally to the field of publishing and printing. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method of providing publishing and printing services via a communications network.
Key steps for producing printed materials using a plate process include (1) preparing copy elements for reproduction, (2) prepress production, (3) platemaking, (4) printing, and (5) binding, finishing and distribution.
In this printing production process, an xe2x80x9cend userxe2x80x9d, such as, publishers, direct marketers, advertising agencies, and corporate communication departments, prepares copy elements for reproduction. In this xe2x80x9cdesignxe2x80x9d stage of the printing process, the end user provides images and data using slides or computer files to create one or more xe2x80x9cpagesxe2x80x9d. Pages can be designed using computer programs such as QuarkXpress or other publishing software packages. Slides or computer disks containing pages to be printed are sent (via mail or express carrier) to be prepared for creation of a plate.
In the prepress production stage, the end user input (or xe2x80x9ccopyxe2x80x9d) is transformed into a medium that is reproducible for printing. Typically, prepress involves typesetting, illustration, page building and design, image capture, image color correction, file conversion, RIPing, trapping, proofing, imposition, filmsetting, and platesetting. xe2x80x9cProofingxe2x80x9d involves producing a proof, or sample, of what the printed product will look like. The proof is sent by mail or express carrier to the end user for review and approval. After alterations are made, new proofs are sent to the end user. Once approval of the proof is given by the end user, a medium, such as a computer to plate (CTP) file is produced and sent to the printer. xe2x80x9cImposition xe2x80x9d involves the set of pages on a particular plate as well as their positioning and orientation. Imposition is particularly important in the creation of booklets or catalogs, where pages are positioned using register marks to assist in the stripping, collating, and folding of the printed product.
In the platemaking stage, a xe2x80x9cprinterxe2x80x9d manufactures a printing plate using the medium created during prepress. Where a CTP file is used, the printer converts the CTP file into a printing plate or goes directly to a digital press. In the printing stage, the printer uses the printing plate to create the printed product. In the binding, finishing and distribution stage, the printed product is prepared in its final form.
Each step in the printing production process described briefly above can be accomplished using a variety of different known systems and techniques. Nevertheless, such conventional systems have many delays, particularly in the transporting of pages and proofs to and from the end user and prepress provider. Due to delays and the fragmented nature of conventional printing production systems, errors often occur. Further, typical printing production systems are limited in their ability to re-purpose data, manage content of pages, and piece together individual processes or tasks to establish an efficient production system or xe2x80x9cworkflowxe2x80x9d. Indeed, no conventional system combines prepress, content management, infrastructure (server, storage and distribution) and workflow services.
Conventional printing and publishing systems generally include Macintosh computers or workstations which communicate with each other using the AppleTalk protocol. AppleTalk protocol cannot however be communicated over switched networks such as the Internet and private networks where nodes in the network have IP (Internet Protocol) addresses. As such, conventional systems cannot merely be coupled to a communication network for remotely controlling design, prepress and print processes.
There is a need for a system which combines design, prepress, content management, infrastructure (server, storage and distribution) and workflow. For end users in particular, there is a need for a system and a method to gain control of the design, prepress, and print processes. To save time and costs, there is a need to eliminate manual shipping of proofs back and forth to a prepress provider. Further, there is a need for a prepress capability at a local facility without the time and costs of shipping proofs back and forth to a prepress provider. Even further, there is a need for a system and method to provide plate-ready files over a communications network for delivery to a CTP device. Moreover, for commercial printers, there is a need for a system and method to remotely drive a plate-setting device located at a printer""s facility. Further, there is a need to decrease the amount of time necessary to generate printing plates after processing of the pages (i.e., the cycle time). Even further, there is a need for providing access to the functionality of high-end server, storage, and networking equipment to the printer facility without the associated capital investments.
The present invention provides a solution for communicating and managing printing and publishing services. The technique is preferably implemented in a system architecture which allows remote printing and publishing services in real time. System components are installed at an end user facility, a printing company facility, and a central service facility. These components may include hardware, firmware, and software components which facilitate the exchange, management, and adaptation of data for the printing and publishing services provided.
In a preferred configuration, software included in the system architecture facilitates creation of pages at the end user facility and final printing of the created pages at a printing company facility. Digital files, including graphics, images, text, and art used in the creation of these pages, are stored at the central service facility and are accessible at the end user facility. Management software facilitates the management and organization of data files throughout the system. The technique may also facilitate the integration of other services into the system.
One embodiment of the invention relates to a printing and publishing system which generates a printing plate-ready file from data provided remotely in real time using a communication network. The printing and publishing system includes a central service facility and an end user facility and/or a printing company facility. The end user facility provides page building operations allowing the design and construction of pages from images, text, and data available via said communication network. The central service facility provides storage, file processing, remote access, and content management operations. File processing operations include generating a plate-ready file from pages designed at said end user facility. The plate-ready file has a file format capable of high resolution and is ready for creation of a printing plate. The printing company facility provides printing operations for producing a printing plate from said plate-ready file.
Another embodiment of the invention relates to a method of generating a plate-ready file configured for the creation of a printing plate, said plate-ready file being associated with page layouts and being provided in real time from a remote location using a communication network. The method includes remotely providing access to imaging files for searching and retrieving images used in the design of a page layout by a remote user; establishing links to said imaging files, thereby creating a thin Postscript file from the page layout design by the remote user; parsing said thin Postscript file to extract data associated with low resolution images and replace with high resolution data, thereby forming a fat Postscript file; creating a portable document format (PDF) file from said fat Postscript file; and converting said PDF file to a file in plate-ready format.
Another embodiment of the invention relates to a method of generating a plate-ready file configured for the creation of a printing plate, said plate-ready file being associated with page layouts and being provided in real time from a remote location using a communication network. The method includes storing high resolution files on a computer server, generating low resolution files corresponding to said high resolution files, providing said low resolution file to a remote client so that the designing of the page layout via a communication network, generating a plate-ready file from the page layout design by said remote client, and providing said plate-ready file to a remote printer.